Time to say goodbye: the Volkswagen Phaeton will stop being manufactured in March 2016

The Volkswagen Phaeton is currently the most representative and most expensive model in the German automotive giant’s range.

After almost 14 years on the market, Volkswagen has announced that the Phaeton will stop being manufactured in March 2016, bringing to an end a career of highs and lows.

The Volkswagen Phaeton saw the light of day at the end of 2002, as a response to premium brands in the full-size saloon segment. The Phaeton was, at the time, something of a “whim” of Volkswagen’s then-head, Mr Piech, who aimed to create a VW capable of competing with – and surpassing – brands such as Audi, BMW or Mercedes.

The product itself is, and always has been, brilliant. A flagship saloon with an elegant and understated design – perhaps too understated – and an extraordinarily well-built interior, with levels of luxury and comfort never before seen in the brand. In fact, its platform, as well as some chassis components, are shared with the Bentley Continental GT.

However, from the very beginning the Phaeton has left a lot to be desired, insofar as sales figures have never reflected “sufficient” acceptance by the general public, which was reluctant to spend around €90,000 on a Volkswagen when the same money could buy an Audi A8, for example.

Now, after 14 years on the market, the Dresden plant will stop building the Phaeton, while its successor still has no clear market launch date, despite the brand having confirmed it.

About the future Phaeton we know that it will be a reinvented concept of luxury saloon, and that it will include, as a minimum, a fully electric variant with performance close to that of a sports car and a range of at least 500 km. This ambitious project has been delayed due to the brand’s problems with the diesel emissions scandal, which has led to a restructuring and cost-saving plan into which the future Phaeton has been included.

Source | Volkswagen